'Restauracade' opening puts region on new map

Chain featuring food, drinks, games tries big idea in smaller market

By Steve Barnes

Published 6:50 pm, Thursday, August 22, 2013

Benjamin Maddy, regional marketing and tourism sales director for Dave and Buster's plays four-person air hockey during a media tour of the new Dave & Buster's, a restaurant/arcade in Crossgates Mall on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2013 in Guilderland, NY. (Paul Buckowski / Times Union)

Benjamin Maddy, regional marketing and tourism sales director for...

Prizes are seen on shelves during a media tour of the new Dave & Buster's, a restaurant/arcade in Crossgates Mall on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2013 in Guilderland, NY. (Paul Buckowski / Times Union)

Prizes are seen on shelves during a media tour of the new Dave &...

Large television monitors hang from around the bar area at the new Dave & Buster's, a restaurant/arcade in Crossgates Mall on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2013 in Guilderland, NY. (Paul Buckowski / Times Union)

Large television monitors hang from around the bar area at the new...

A view of Snocross video games at the new Dave & Buster's, a restaurant/arcade in Crossgates Mall on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2013 in Guilderland, NY. (Paul Buckowski / Times Union)

A view of Snocross video games at the new Dave & Buster's, a...

A view of large stuffed animals in an arcade game at the new Dave & Buster's, a restaurant/arcade in Crossgates Mall on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2013 in Guilderland, NY. (Paul Buckowski / Times Union)

A view of large stuffed animals in an arcade game at the new Dave &...

Dan Johnson, general manager, talks about his restaurant during a media tour of the new Dave & Buster's, a restaurant/arcade in Crossgates Mall on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2013 in Guilderland, NY. (Paul Buckowski / Times Union)

Dan Johnson, general manager, talks about his restaurant during a...

A view of the dining area at the new Dave & Buster's, a restaurant/arcade in Crossgates Mall on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2013 in Guilderland, NY. (Paul Buckowski / Times Union)

A view of the dining area at the new Dave & Buster's, a...

Some cocktails on display during a media tour of the new Dave & Buster's, a restaurant/arcade in Crossgates Mall on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2013 in Guilderland, NY. (Paul Buckowski / Times Union)

The restaurant and game emporium, which opens Saturday on the Western Avenue side of Crossgates Mall, covers 33,000 square feet and has a capacity of more than 1,400 people.

Its 168 games, from skeeball to a zombie-shooting video adventure that senses the player's pulse and becomes scarier as heart rate increases, can accommodate 266 players at once, and the dining room and bar seat 269.

There are 220 employees, according to the location's general manager, Dan Johnson, who most recently managed the high-end Albany steakhouse Angelo's 677 Prime. Magnetic-strip cards required to play the games, which can be reloaded from an app on mobile devices, can hold up to $1,000 worth of game-playing.

Eagan was among a group of political and business officials who appeared at a preview and ribbon-cutting event at Dave & Buster's on Thursday.

After an invite-only party on Friday night, the "restauracade" will begin serving at 11 a.m. Saturday and will be open for a minimum of 13 hours a day, every day of the week. Though 40 percent of the chain's customers are families, its prime demographic is 21- to 35-year-old adults, said Gary Passardi, regional operations director. Anyone younger than 18 must be accompanied by an adult of at least 25 years of age, with a maximum ratio of six kids per adult; after 11 p.m., Dave & Buster's will be open only to those 21 or older.

Construction took more than six months, and the chain spent at least $6 million to construct and equip the space, said Passardi.

Among the new elements being tried in the Crossgates location are photographs of iconic regional sites, including The Egg and the state Capitol, on the walls of the dining room.

Johnson, the general manager, estimated that more than 5,000 customers will pass through on an average Friday or Saturday, with revenue split about evenly between food and drink, and games.

In his welcoming remarks on Thursday, Guilderland Town Supervisor Ken Runion said, "We thrive on sales tax, and I can just see that Dave & Buster's is going to bring in a lot of sales tax."